The Reawakening
by adamthegoose
Summary: A sequel to Super Paper Mario. Good and evil reverse roles when a second void is born, with intentions to destroy all but one particular unexpected person.
1. I

I

* * *

"Marry me."

"Mmhmm," Timpani laughed. She glared at the boy kneeling on one knee beside her, a sarcastic smirk spread on her sweet, pale face. He was grinning back, not sarcastically but sincerely.

"I mean it," he said. "Watch." He held one hand open, and twirled his opposite fingers. In his empty hand appeared a small black box with a ring, its diamond shining rainbows in the light coming through the window. He shook his other hand lightly and summoned a single red rose into his palm.

Timpani looked at the boy with disbelief. She loved him, of course, but he wasn't the one.

"We're kids, we are not getting married," Timpani stated firmly. She tucked a loose lock of thick honey-colored hair behind her ear and motioned for her lover to get up off the floor.

Reluctantly, he stood, closing his hands together to make the flower and ring disappear. He just smiled at her, a smile that was almost threatening. But she didn't mind. She grinned right back.

"We're kids, but we're not children," he told her quietly. "Think about it. We can rule the worlds. All of them, every single one, every world and dimension you can think of. You and me, forever, we can have it all. We can have it just like in the books you love. You can live that adventure. Just say yes."

"No," Timpani whispered. She reached up and cupped one of his cheeks in her hand. "I am not marrying you. Not yet."

He chuckled. "You will."


	2. One

One

* * *

Blumiere was not one of the lucky ones that were able to grow up under the calm sun that gave such radiant life to the small kingdom of Illuminatia. He was a child of the Tribe of Darkness, and had spent most of his life roaming the empty halls of his castle in the kingdom of Dusk Hill. Dusk Hill sat on a cliff that rose higher than the clouds, and sat in total emptiness. Throwing himself off of that cliff some years ago was the best decision that he had ever made.

Thinking about it now, as he sat against the trunk of an oak watching the Illuminatia sun set, Blumiere had never considered himself one of the lucky ones. Sure, he had been born to royalty - his parents ruled over Dusk Hill with pride - but he never was able to find happiness or pride in that life. His father always criticized him for his love of the idea of love and light. He was told since the day he was born that he would never amount to much, that he would never be able to handle ruling a kingdom, because he was too often lost in his fantasies. He grew up without friends, without any sort of love besides the love his mother provided when she came into his room every once in a while to kiss his forehead or to tell him that the chefs were ready to present him his meal. He never saw light besides the soft flicker of a few candles spread here and there across the castle walls.

When his mother died and he learned that he, upon his father's inevitable death, was the only one eligible to rule over Dusk Hill, Blumiere had thrown himself off the side of the only world he had known. He didn't want to live in a world where the only companionship he had was with his cruel father, or worse, in a world where he was alone. He never had expected to survive the fall, and definitely had never expected to find love at its base.

That love that Blumiere had found was there, at that moment, resting against his side. Her head lay in the crook of his neck and his arm and ivory cape were draped over her. Her breathing was slow and peaceful, matching the atmosphere around them. There was no noise, no breeze, no disturbance at all. The air had a slight chill, but was comfortable under the protection of Blumiere's cape. The sky was bright pink, reflecting a pale pink tint onto the white castle and village out in the distance.

"Timpani, are you asleep?" Blumiere asked quietly. He felt her shake her head against his collar bone. "Just thinking," she answered.

"About what?" He questioned.

"Everything," Timpani sighed. She pushed herself off of him, out of his embrace. She turned to face him, sitting cross-legged and staring hard into Blumiere's dark orange eyes. His face was contorted with confusion, but she smiled at him.

"I'm just glad we're back here," she whispered. "I'm glad we're home. I'm glad it's quiet. I always wanted to live an adventure, and now I have. And I'm tired. It was...difficult. Not something I want to do again. I'm happy it's over. And I'm happy I have you."

Blumiere smiled. He gently took her hands in his, admiring the contrast. She was pale, but not nearly as pale as him. His skin was practically white. Her hands were small, almost lost in his long gloved fingers.

"We don't have to go back to that," he assured. "We have all of this. We have the quiet for as long as we want it."

Timpani sighed again. "We might. But what if we don't? What if...your father...or someone else...?"

"My father is no threat to us, love," Blumiere said firmly. "He knows my power."

"The power you aren't going to use anymore," Timpani reminded, jabbing her pointer into his chest. He smiled at her and nodded.

"But he doesn't know that," he said with a wink. "No one knows that but you."

Unsatisfied but finished with the conversation, Timpani slumped back under Blumiere's arm, letting him again blanket her with his cape. They were silent for a moment, staring into the emptying sky and listening to their hearts, before Timpani spoke again.

"You know, I'm still mad at you for taking me to Merlee's for our honeymoon."

Blumiere chuckled under his breath. "I thought it would be sweet," he said. "The orange sky, the giant mansion all to ourselves, with the ruby ballroom and the view of the lake from all the windows... I didn't think that Merlee would actually join us for the occasion."

"I don't think I will ever be able to read a rhyme again without thinking of my conversations with her between the bathroom stalls," Timpani grumbled, letting out a giggle. Blumiere shook his head.

"I could have planned worse," Blumiere joked. "We could have camped out outside Fort Francis. Or spend some quality time floating around in space together."

"Could have been to a show at Glitzville, or stayed in a room in Poshley Heights," Timpani giggled.

"We have forever to do those things," Blumiere reminded her.

It was as if on cue, as if all of the dimensions and galaxies had heard the words slip from the count's lips. A voice came from behind the newlywed couple. The voice was not an unfamiliar one, but rather one that the lovers had found comfort and salvation in. After all, the possessor of this voice was the reason Blumiere was even alive.

"Um, you may not have as long as you think."

Blumiere was quick to jump to his feet to guard his wife, but guard was not needed. His face faded from concern to joy in less than a second, opening his arms and pulling the woman standing in front of him into a welcoming embrace.

"Nastasia," he greeted her. "How did you find us? How did you even...how are you?"

Nastasia's face was glowing, overjoyed to see her blue-haired crush again. She savored every short second of the hug, inhaling his scent, memorizing the way his arms felt wrapped around her back. But it ended as quickly as it started, and the woman was met with the embrace of the man's wife. As Timpani squeezed her, Nastasia let her arms hang loose in annoyance.

"Oh, Nastasia, it's so good to see you," Timpani exclaimed.

"Um, yeah," Nastasia replied unenthusiastically. She gently pushed her way out of Timpani's hug and faced Blumiere again. "Uh, yeah, Count Ble...Blumiere."

"Is something wrong, Nastasia?" Blumiere asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "Would you care to come down to our home for a cup of tea? Some wine, even?"

"No, no," Nastasia said in disgust. The last place she wanted to be was the nest of her soulmate's love with another woman. "But, um, there is a bit of a...an issue."

"Anything we can do to help?" Timpani offered.

"Yeah, about that...you two are, um, the only two in...well, in anywhere that can help."

It struck Timpani like a blade planted in her back. The universe was definitely out together. Right as she confessed her lack of desire to ever again leave the peace of her home, she knew she was about to be pulled away.

"Why us?" Blumiere asked.

"It's, um...complicated. If you would like to, you know, grab a hand, I can teleport us where we need to go." Nastasia offered her hand to Blumiere, who willingly grabbed ahold of it.

Timpani, however, grabbed onto Blumiere's arm. She threw Nastasia a glare of disapproval. "Where are you bringing us, exactly? And why so sudden?"

Nastasia glared back. "We're going to Flipside. And, uh, I can't really explain it. You kind of have to see it for yourself."

Blumiere removed himself from Timpani's angry grasp and took her hand in his. "We will be fine," he assured her.

Nastasia secretly scowled at the hand holding, then shook her head at herself. With her tallest finger, she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, and with a nod of her head, the three old friends disappeared from the serene atmosphere of Illuminatia with all destinations to the little dimension of Flipside.

It was exactly as Timpani remembered the little world to be. She peered up into the pale yellow sky as she calmed from the teleportation. The town's odd clay-like scent filled her nose with nostalgia. Beside her stood the small dark blue hut, covered with poorly painted light blue stars, that belonged to the man who saved her life. This man stood anxiously outside his door, patiently awaiting the return of his guests.

Merlon, usually cheerful and filled with hope for the future, had too much concern in his eyes for Timpani's comfort. She ran to him, throwing her arms around his round body.

"Tippi..." Merlon said, a half smile spreading under his beard. His eyes did not smile along with his lips, still flooded with sadness.

"Merlon," Blumiere nodded. The wizard gulped, looking to Timpani for some sort of approval. The girl giggled at them, grabbing Merlon's hand and forcing it into her husband's for a handshake. It seemed to put Merlon at ease for a moment.

"Yeah, sorry to be a buzzkill, but um, Merlon, you probably should...you know..." Nastasia reminded.

Merlon sighed. "Tippi...Timpani, rather, and Count Ble...Blumiere," he blushed with embarrassment. "Stay here for a moment. I think you should see it before I try to explain it." He darted as fast as he could into his little hut, and came back out with a large telescope. He placed it down in front of Blumiere, gesturing to the man to take a look.

The count lowered his eyes down to the level of the telescope, peering into it with the eye not blocked by a monocle. He drew in a sharp breath. "No...is that...?"

"I'm afraid so," Merlon said quietly, lowering his gaze.

Blumiere rose from his position, and gave Timpani a sad headshake as he tied his fingers between hers and giving her hand a soft squeeze. Fearfully, she looked for herself into the telescope. She gasped at the sight. Far out into the sky was a small but very visible tear in the sky. Its purple and black swirl was all too familiar.

"The void?"


	3. Two

Two

* * *

It had taken, as Nastasia counted, a short seven seconds for Timpani's horrified gasp to attract two more of her counterparts to Merlon's little abode. She watched with crossed arms as they came galloping through. O'Chunks, who had gained several pounds of Saffron's spicy soup since the last he'd seen the couple, was basking over Timpani's human beauty. He had never seen her this way, only meeting in her Pixl form. Mimi, who hadn't changed since the last they'd all been together, had thrown herself at Blumiere, another woman with no shot at winning over the count.

Nastasia watched the reunion with a sort of fury in the of her stomach. Every interaction was making her want to wrap her bony hands around Timpani's little neck. She never had thought of herself as the jealous type, at least not until Blumiere had told her about his love. Blumiere had found Nastasia a long time ago, while he was searching for his lost bride. Nastasia had been a test subject for an experiment by a shady character with the name of Doopliss. The constantly-masked man had, for the sake of fun, decided to curse his hometown, Twilight Town, and turn all of its citizens into animals. Nastasia had been a test. She was captured and quickly morphed into a bat, but bats were too risky for Doopliss' trap, so he put her in a cage and left her to die behind his Creepy Steeple. After fighting the cage wiring for days, the strikingly handsome Blumiere found and freed her, as well as bringing her back to her true human form. She had dedicated herself to him from that moment on. She loved him, truly, for he had given her life as she wanted to give him. She devoted herself to his work, even after he told her that the only reason he wanted to destroy all worlds was to avenge the supposed death of Timpani. Her heart was in his hands, but he tossed it away for the weak, helpless soul that now was suffocating in O'Chunks' squeeze.

"Can we please get back to the issue at hand?" Merlon was begging from his doorway. No one could hear him over the squeals thundering from Mimi's throat.

"Oh, gosh, Count! You've only gotten more amazing! Look at you! Oh, gosh, Tippi, you lucky bastard...Oh, Tippi! I love your dress! Ooh, and that ring! Is that a diamond? I love the way it reflects a rainbow in the light! It's so beautiful! Oh gosh, I can't wait to get married, I want a giant ruby in my ring, and if not, I'll just kick him into the street...unless he's as beautiful as the Count is! I mean, golly, I-"

"It's good to see you too, Mimi," Blumiere interrupted loudly. Mimi instantly shut up and bit her lip in frustration.

"Um, so can we just, talk about this problem now?" Nastasia spat.

Mimi rolled her eyes. "You're so cranky, Nass. Blah blah blah, I love a married man, I'm Nastasia, blah blah blah. Join the club, sister. Stop being so bitchy about it."

"I am very uncomfortable," Timpani stated matter-of-factly. A smirk spread on Blumiere's face.

"Alright now," Merlon said, clapping his hands once to gather the attention of the crowd around him. "Please, if you could just please, listen to me for a moment. It's urgent, if you could not already tell..."

"Merlon, how could another void be constructed?" Timpani questioned. "Wasn't the Chaos Heart and all of its power destroyed when Blumiere and I wed?"

"That's why I needed you here," Merlon said hesitantly. "It seems there has been some sort of...disturbance in the world of Ancients. Once that first void closed, the events foretold in the Dark Prognosticus should have come to an end, as well as those in the Light Prognosticus. However, I fear that someone has...altered the prophecies somehow. Who could have done this, I can not think of. To alter the prophecy of the Dark Prognosticus, to redesign fate, the way the Chaos Heart works, the nature of the void...it takes power that I did not believe could ever exist."

"Where did it come from?" Blumiere asked.

"I cannot say I know," Merlon sighed. "The origins of power that great...I care not to wonder the lengths someone would have to go to to acquire it...what they must have done..."

"Or his motives," Timpani muttered. She knew there was only one person who could have done this, only one person with enough evil and hatred in his core to try to once again destroy all worlds.

"I suspect, as you all must, that it is Dimentio behind that void...," Merlon stated. "But, indeed, Tip-Timpani, it's true...it is unimaginable what his motivations could be. Blumiere, O'Chunks, Mimi, Nastasia...you were all closer to Dimemtio than anyone else in any dimension has ever been. Do you have any kind of idea as to what he is thinking?"

The four shook their heads. The atmosphere between them was tense. How unfortunate it was, that a reunion of such a close group would become a situation so horrific. And how unfortunate, Timpani wondered to herself, how empty the circle of friends felt.

"Does Mario know?" She asked anxiously.

Merlon's face glimmered with hope. "No, no, he does not...of course, the heroes of the prophecies, how silly of me to not get them...all of them... Timpani, thank you. We have to warn the four heroes. You must go. Timpani, Blumiere, all of you...go to the Mushroom Kingdom, bring the heroes here, and we will be undefeatable. We can take Dimentio down just as fast as he brought that void up."

Timpani wrapped an arm through Blumiere's elbow, gazing at him with a smile. It had been too long since she had seen her galant savior in red, or any of the four heroes. Being around those familiar faces and under there protection would surely ease her sadness.

"Yeah, Mimi will go to the princess' castle," Nastasia said. "And O'Chunks will go to Bowser's fortress. Um...you two...go get the brothers. I'll stay here, yeah, take care of some last minute business."

"Are you sure?" Blumiere asked. Nastasia nodded.

"Alright, we will go," Blumiere said hesitantly. Then, with a sudden burst of confidence, he proclaimed, "And we will return not four, but eight."

"Be safe," Merlon smiled, giving Timpani's hand a reassuring squeeze. She smiled back at him.

Mimi giggled and disappeared into the air, teleporting herself to the castle of Princess Peach. O'Chunks jumped into the air with full force, becoming lost in the sky as he made his way to Bowser's hidden castle. And, with a wave of his staff, Blumiere teleported himself and his Timpani away from the scene to the large meadow of Mushroom Kingdom. The birds were singing, and the grass gracefully danced to their song with the wind. The sky was bright and clear, and the sun shone down and reflected off the windows of the small cottage that the couple had landed in front of. On the little wooden door sat two colored plaques: a red "M" shape and a green "L" shape.

Timpani did not waste a second. She darted at the house, leaping over the stairs onto the porch and banging on the door with three hard knocks. "Mario! Luigi! It's Timpani! Um...Tippi! Come on, open up!" She giggled at their slacking, knocking again on the door.

Blumiere made his way onto the porch, peering through the glass window next to the door. He didn't see anyone there, only two fabric recliners - one red, one green - facing an unlit stone fireplace. There was a book, open and upside down, on an end table between the two chairs, and a half-full mug of coffee next to it. He frowned, unhappy that he would have to be the one to again disturb the brothers' peace.

"Mario! Luigi! Come on, I want to see you guys!" Timpani laughed, now knocking tunes on the door.

A wave of concern flooded through Blumiere. He gently grabbed at her hands and pulled them to her sides. He took hold of her shoulders and pushed her softly to the side, fading the smile on her face. He turned the doorknob, finding it unlocked, and invited himself into the house.

"Blumiere, you can't just walk into someone's-" Timpani blurted, but was interrupted by the satin of her husband's gloved finger meeting her lips.

"Hush," Blumiere whispered to her, raising his staff with caution. He glanced around the room, observing the poor decor. The room was bland, and for some reason empty despite the brothers' riches. There were no pictures on the walls, no rugs to cover the poorly-crafted wood flooring. It toyed with Blumiere's mind for a moment, until he realized that the poor brothers most likely never had the chance to properly furnish their home in the midst of all of their adventuring.

Timpani, whose mind had begun to be controlled by frustration, circled around Blumiere and headed for the small kitchen area. The counters were cleared and the china inside the windowed cabinets were neatly arranged. Timpani shook her head at the sight. Next to the refrigerator - surely filled with mushrooms and goodies - was a little arched doorway, opening to a little hallway. All of the doors in the hall were open, giving access to Mario's crimson-themed room, Luigi's neatly-kept bedroom, and a tiny, well-cared for bathroom. They were, apart from furniture, completely empty, not a soul to be found.

"They must have gone out," Timpani decided, heading back to Blumiere. But he was shaking his head.

"No," he murmured, picking up the little mug of coffee on the end table. "Something is wrong. They're clean, those two. Look at their home - it may be barren, but it is spotless at every angle. They wouldn't have just...left these here. Something's gone wrong." He handed the mug to Timpani, who brought it to the kitchen to empty and clean.

As his wife did their friends' dishes, Blumiere examined the book on the table. It laid open on its pages, leaving only its front and back covers to be seen. The covers were empty, just a dull dirty-gold color with a dark green trim design around the edges. The book's spine was cracked and tearing. It must have been read many a time.

Curious, Blumiere picked up the book, careful not to lose the page whichever brother had been up to. But the page the book had been open to was not at all legible. He felt his stomach turn. On the book's page was a letter in neat calligraphy, covering all of the words that had been printed long ago on the paper. He ran his finger over the letter, smudging the ink. It was fresh.

"Is that a 'D'?" Timpani asked, standing next to Blumiere and peering at the book on her tip-toes. Blumiere nodded.

"For 'Dimentio'?" Timpani mumbled. Blumiere ripped the page out, throwing the book angrily and carelessly at the wall behind him. He stepped closer to the light coming through the window, again running his fingers through the 'D' hand-written on the page. Again, the ink smeared.

"The ink is still wet," Blumiere said, his hands shaking with fury. "Which means we just missed him. He was just here. If we were just a few minutes earlier, just a few seconds-"

"Hey," Timpani interrupted him. She laid a hand over his, soothing his anger and ceasing his angry tremors. She took the page from him and tucked it under her arm. "There's nothing we could have done. They know how to take him - they've done it before. Many times. Come on, let's go back to Merlon and the others. Maybe Princess Peach and Bowser will be able to offer some kind of clues as to what's going on. Everything's going to be fine."

Blumiere gave his wife a half smile. "Of course," he said, taking hold of her hand. He made sure she had the page with her, and with another wave of his staff, the two disappeared from the little wooden cabin, on their way to Flipside once more.


	4. Three

Three

* * *

The walk from the town's massive elevator to Merlon's little home was, in reality, a very short distance. But, as Blumiere and Timpani approached it, the book page with the 'D' clutched tightly in Blumiere's fist, it seemed that the length of the little road tripled with every synchronized step the couple took.

They were not the first to have arrived back at Flipside. From a small window on the side of Merlon's, they could see Mimi's green pigtails bouncing as she paced back and forth across the room, a panicked look on her face. Blumiere and Timpani exchanged fearful glances before opening the door to the hut and greeting those inside with sad eyes.

Merlon, upon seeing the distressed couple, instantly lowered his eyes. "The brothers as well?"

"As well…?" Timpani questioned, looking to Mimi. It was in that moment that Timpani had seen Mimi more frightened than she ever had. She'd been at the heroes' sides throughout their first journey, and had seen Mimi close to death after taking several beatings from the heroes, but never had her face dripped with such a look of loss.

"Well, you didn't bring back either of them," Mimi sighed. "They weren't there, were they?"

"No," Blumiere said. "But this was." He handed the paper to Merlon, whose eyes widened. He shook his head, handing the page to Mimi, who cringed at its sight.

"What happened at Peach's castle, Mimi?" Timpani asked quietly. The girls' eyes met again in fear.

"They were all gone," Mimi said. "Like, all of them. All those...mushroom head things. The Toads, whatever. Not a single one. I looked, like, everywhere. Arent' there supposed to be little servants all over the place? That's what a castle's for, right? Rich people with some poor people to do their bidding? I looked everywhere. It looked like there had been people there, you know, like, there was a pot of cream of mushroom soup cooking on the kitchen stove, I had to turn the heat off to keep the whole damn castle from burning down...but it was in Peach's bedroom…" She hesitated.

"What was?" Blumiere asked with clenched teeth.

"You mean besides all the precious gems?" Mimi laughed. "Golly, she's got it all. If I had known she had that much, gosh, I'd have ditched the count in a heartbeat and just taken over that kingdom...but that's beside the point. That...'D'...on the paper." She played with the corner of the page with her shaky fingers, then traced the letter with another. "There was one in her room, too. Not on paper like this, it was on her bed. On the blanket, it was made all nice and neat, but she had, like...just gotten up...it was weird...like, the shower water was running, and her dress was hanging in her bathroom, but not any kind of pajamas or slippers or robes or whatever...she was just getting ready to get up, but the bed. It was like, too perfect. And the blanket had the 'D' on it. In black paint, huge, covering up the whole thing. And it was fresh, too. I touched it, and look." She shoved her fingers in the couple's faces, and they were covered in a thin layer of black paint. "It was still wet. Like, he had just been there. Gosh, it's like, if I had showed up just a minute earlier…"

"The ink on the paper was still wet, too," Blumiere said. Mimi ran a finger across the ink, but it did not smear. Blumiere threw his arms up in the air in frustration, turning to the corner. He removed his white hat and ran his hand through his dark blue hair. The ink had dried that fast. Dimentio had left with the brothers literally seconds before his and Timpani's arrival.

O'Chunks arrived then, his entrance loud and grand. He punched the door open, making it fall from its hinges. Merlon shouted at him, but O'Chunks towered over him with intimidation to shut him up.

"'E got 'em," O'Chunks yelled in his thick Scottish accent. "They're all gone, all of 'em! Ye shoulda seen it!"

"Who's 'all of them'?" Blumiere asked.

"All of 'em! Really! All 'is little turtle friends...the Krappers or somethin', all just gone! No security, not a darn thing there! Hell, the gates were 'angin' open when I got there! Maria an' 'is friends or Dimentier coulda just walked right in if they wanted teh! An' it was empty. Went straight to 'is throne, I was screamin' for 'im, for anyone, not a soul there!

"But here's the twist!" He jumped dramatically, pointing at Timpani, his eyes wide with animation. Timpani stifled a laugh that was caught in her throat, even amidst all of the horror around her. O'Chunks' storytelling was something she couldn't deny she missed.

"There was a somethin' on 'is throne! I was confused, ya know, 'cause I'm a little bit fuzzy when it comes to clues an' all that. Somethin' with the throne. The back, ya know, where 'e puts 'is back when 'e sits? Made o' some nice soft kinda material, gotta feel nice when 'e gets 'imself outta that creepy ol' spike shell 'e's got. Well, somethin' was wrong with it. First, I thunk, maybe 'e sat down on it with 'is shell on, an' the spikes tore open the cushionin' on the back. But then I scratched at ma beard a tad, an' I thought, gee, naw, the Krapper King wouldn't 'ave forgotten to take off 'is shell! 'E loves 'is royalty! 'E wouldn't 'ave damaged 'is throne like that! So, I looked a little closer. An' it took me a second, 'cause I ain't the best at the alphabet, ya see. But I sung it a bit, an' I realized there was a letter cut into the chair!"

"Let me guess," Blumiere snarled. "A big 'D', cut fresh into the cushion."

O'Chunks gasped stupidly. "'Ow did ya know that?!"

"We all found that, you stupid thug," Mimi snapped. She shoved the paper from Mario and Luigi's book into O'Chunks' beefy hands. O'Chunks raised it close to his eyes, examining it for a moment before gasping. "That's the one! That's the letter! It was right there, right on 'is chair! Thought it was a 'O' for a second, got a little bit scared. Thought 'e was tryin' to contact me or somethin'. Ya know, 'cause my name is an 'O' before my 'Chunks'? But then I remembered how the-"

"Can you shut it?" Mimi snapped. "No one really cares that you're all brawn and no brains. What matters is that, like, literally everyone we need is missing, and Dimentio is clearly behind all of it. We have to go find him before he hurts everyone."

"Where's Nastasia?" Blumiere asked curiously. Merlon opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by a rough shake of the ground. The quake knocked knick-knacks off of shelves and the beings in the room off of their balance. Blumiere instinctively leapt for Timpani, catching her before she could fall to the floor. O'Chunks fell forward in a single second, taking Merlon down with him like a domino. Mimi grabbed hold of a column in the room, able to stand on her feet through the long few seconds of the tremor.

Immediately after the ground below their feet calmed, all five sets of eyes met. They all rushed outside, all with the same thought in mind. All gazes rose to the void in the sky, which had grown at an unbelievable rate.

"Oh dear," Merlon gasped. "It's even faster than the first…"

"We have to go. Now." Blumiere announced. "We have to get to him before that thing grows again. I refuse to let him get away with this."

The group watched as the inhabitants of Flipside began to run out from their homes, looking into the sky and erupting into a sea of screams. Families knotted themselves in hugs, shouts of sheer horror filled the air. Crowds began rushing to Merlon, questions flooding.

"Enough!" Merlon boomed, silencing the horrified crowd. "I am aware of the void's presence, and have been since its arrival in the sky. Yes, yes, quiet, it has been there for a day or so. But it is nothing to worry about. We have, here, with us, our newest group of saviors. They are going to fix this. For good."

There was some chatter in the crowd, and one single voice piped over the rest: "Aren't they the bad guys? Wasn't it that guy who did it to start with?"

The crowd then shouted in riot, but Merlon yelled again at them, ceasing the chaos. "No. This is a different man. He may look quite close to the villain that you once knew, but, as you also know, people change. Everything changes. And if you need proof, just look behind me at the way he holds the hand of his lover, who, if you do not recognize, is our biggest hero...our Pixl who brought us peace once...and will once again…"

The crowd, now curious, all peered at Timpani and the man who tightly grasped her hand. The people slowly began to recognize their hero, happily greeting their Tippi back home. She smiled at them all, bowing her head, then smiling up at all of them. "You all need not worry...my Blumiere, he is a man none of you know. This is not the man who summoned the first void, not the man who tried to destroy all you love. This is the man who readied to sacrificed himself to take back the evil he had done, the man who is more than eager to save all of you now...the man I married…"

The crowd cheered now, chanting for their dear old friend Tippi and cheering on her love and friends.

"Um, while they're...celebrating...let's get going," a voice from behind the five suggested.

"Nastasia, where…?" Blumiere asked, but Nastasia shook her head. "I'll explain later. We need to get going. Uh, the Pure Hearts...if I'm correct, should all have dispersed back to their original protectors once the Chaos Heart was...destroyed…"

Merlon nodded in agreement. "Yes, yes, go, all of you. The doors, they all still will bring you to your destinations. Make your way to Lineland, collect the orange Heart...the first, the red, is surely around here somewhere, as I have been its original protector…"

"You don't know where it is?" Mimi gaped.

"Well...no…" Merlon sighed. "But as I said, I am its protector. It is surely near me. My need for its power will lead me to its location. Go...go to collect the rest, help us all before the void grows again…"

"We will," Blumiere promised, resting a hand on Merlon's shoulder and nodding once with reassurance. The five pushed past the crowd of spectators, who cheered them on, and then all squished themselves into the small elevator that led them to the long, wall-less hall of doors. The five stood around the first set of arched double doors hesitantly, gazing at its ruby red detail.

"Let's go," Timpani sighed. She pushed the door open and was the first to step through, losing herself to the inter-dimensional teleportation world. The last four followed reluctantly, unprepared for this adventure, but knowing that the lives and fates of everyone in all worlds, all dimensions, rested in their hands.

* * *

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	5. II

II

"Why are you so interested in _card tricks_, of all things? I have real magic, you know, not that... poor excuse for it that your silly little village idiots use."

"Because you're terrible at card tricks," Timpani giggled. She took the old, worn deck of cards from her lover's hands, shuffling them with a few smooth movements of her tiny hands.

"That's only because it's not real magic," he said, snatching them from her. She giggled again, bringing a warm grin to his previously-frustrated face. He attempted to mimic the motions she'd just made. Instead of shuffling the cards, he sent them flying across the room in all different directions. Timpani burst into a fit of laughter.

"This is ridiculous," he laughed along. He opened one hand, laying his palm flat. With his other hand, he snapped, and all of the cards on the floor flew into his hand, neatly stacking on top of each other.

"Hey, you said you wouldn't use your magic!" Timpani whined, giving her love a light punch on the knee. He rolled his eyes at her. "Hush, I'll still show you a card trick. Come on, look. Pick a card." He held the deck out to her, closing his eyes. She giggled, reaching into the center of the deck. "Okay, I got it."

"You know what it is?"

"Yup."

"Okay, put it back."

Gently, Timpani took the card and pushed it into the rest of the deck. He paused for a slight second, then with a quick jerk of his arm, tossed the entire deck of cards into the air. Timpani shrieked, laughing as she watched them float down to the floor, completely scattered about. "You better clean that-"

"Will you hush?" he chuckled, silencing her. He stood slowly, the chair beneath him creaking, and stretched his arms up in the air. He waved a finger, and from a corner of the room, a single card floated up into the air and landed softly in the palm of his hand. He flipped it to face him and grinned. "Your card would be...the king of hearts?"

"Yes!" Timpani laughed, grabbing the card from her lover's hand. "See, that's a trick."

"You puzzle me," he said, sitting back down and taking the card from her. He held it between his thumb and his first finger, and waved over it with his other hand. The card curled up, taking the form of a butterfly, who then fluttered to Timpani and rested in her golden locks. She gasped softly, then held her breath. "I don't want to scare it away," she whispered.

"No need to worry," he whispered back. With another wave of his hand, Timpani felt the weight on her head change. She frowned, standing abruptly and facing a mirror standing in the corner behind her. Again, she gasped, touching at the top of her head. Pressed into her hair was a beautiful bow. It was lightly colored, a pastel rainbow, and it tied around her hair in little loops identical to the wings of a butterfly.

"Would you say...I'm the king...of your heart?" Timpani toyed with the ribbon in her hair as her lover walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into him. She clicked her tongue, elbowing his chest.

"Yeah, no. Maybe you should stop with the card tricks and get your plays on words on par with mine."


	6. Four

Four

"It's hotter 'ere than it was last time," O'Chunks announced, his voice spritely and perky despite his slow shuffle of a walk. The five long-lost friends were making their way, very slowly, through the geometric meadows of Lineland. It was quite frustrating to each of them. Timpani appeared to be the most agitated of them all, as well as the fastest. She didn't want to rush the others, who were all drenched in sweat and panting, but she knew that the longer they took, the less of a shot they had at saving the worlds. Sure, she was hot as well, but the adrenaline rushing through her veins masked it. She took in the world around her, and sighed heavily. At the rate they were going, they were never going to reach the Yold Ruins, forget Dimentio.

Blumiere wiped his forehead with his cape. He was dreading reaching the Yold Desert. If it was this hot in Lineland, he couldn't imagine how scorching the air would be in the adjacent desert. He had removed his hat, cape, and gloves, carrying them all under his left arm. He used the other to push his shirt sleeves as far up his arms as he could. Mimi was watching him happily, probably hoping he would take the shirt off completely, but Blumiere ignored her. He let his jaw hang, letting a small bit of hope that the moisture in the air would refresh his dry mouth take over him.

"Ugh, this is the worst! Why don't we just give up and let Dimentio have what he wants? I can't deal with this heat!" Mimi whined. Timpani whirled around at her. "If you walked faster, we could just get this overwith," she snapped.

"Timpani..." Blumiere sighed. He watched his wife's small hands curl up into fists. Again he sighed, and sped up for a moment, catching up to her and taking one of her fists into his hand. He felt her fingers loosen and relax. "We'll get there."

"Look at the void," Timpani said quietly. Blumiere turned his attention to the sky, where the void seemed to be growing exponentially by the second. He gave Timpani's hand a squeeze. "We're going to make it, don't worry. Here, let me fix your hair. I'll put it up for you."

Timpani's hair was long, her locks reaching down to the small of her back. Blumiere reached into it, taking out her favorite accessory: her rainbow butterfly ribbon. He always liked the way it looked when she wore it, especially in the sun, when the colors stood vibrant and complimented everything surrounding her. She had told him that her mother had given her the bow when she was young, after her father passed away, as a token of her love and of hope. Carefully, he pulled her hair up away from her neck, and used the bow to hold the hair away from her skin. He smiled at her. "Better?"

"It's too _hot_, this totally sucks! These heels are killing my feet! Oh, I can't _wait _to get my hands around that stupid clown's neck..." Mimi whined behind the rest of the group. Nastasia, annoyed, cleared her throat. "You're not the only one who's hot. And you're not the only one in heels."

"Here, Mimi," Blumiere offered his hat to the green-haired snob. "Put your shoes in here, with the rest of my things."

Mimi's ruby-red-painted lips spread across her face. "Golly, Count, you're the sweetest!" She ripped her shoes off of her small feet, gently fitting them into the tall top hat and cushioning them inside Blumiere's cape. Nastasia reached down to start to take her shoes off as well, but Blumiere did not notice, tucking his stuffed hat back under his arm and turning back to talk to his wife. Nastasia grunted in frustration.

It felt as if years had passed before the five finally found themselves in Yold Town. The small village was a wreck. Every building seemed to scream in desparation for reconstruction, or at least a bit of help. One of the stone houses was even cracking on the side, and would likely collapse onto itself within short time. There was no noise besides the heavy breathing of the travellers shuffling into the barren little city.

"'Ello? Lil' Yold people?" O'Chunks shouted. A quiet crash sounded a bit further ahead, and Timpani was the first to sprint towards the sound. Out of his home towards the end of the town, next to a rusting steel bridge, came Green. Timpani remembered the man from traveling Yold with Mario. He was tall, almost as tall as Blumiere, with a pointed face and clothing identical to Luigi's trademark overalls. Timpani remembered his angry brow and conceited tone. Now, though, he looked panicked and desperate.

"Get inside!" he cried to them. "Protect yourselves! It's here again! Get inside, all of you!"

"Green!" Timpani shouted back. The frail man finally caught up to the group, leaning down on his knees to catch his breath. O'Chunks patted Green's back in an attempt to comfort him, but with his strength, only pushed him flat into the desert sand. Blumiere pursed his lips, knowing to hold back his laugh, but Mimi was not so polite. She cackled at the man now making muffled noises in a town. "Oh boy, _please_ tell me you're not the one in charge of this town."

Green sat up, kneeling, and shook his head. "This town," he scoffed. "Does it look like much of a town to be in charge of, dumb girl?"

"Green," Timpani interrupted, avoiding a dispute. "What's going on? Why is it so quiet here? Where did everyone go? Where is Red?"

"Red..." Green closed his eyes and lowered his head. "Oh, curse Grambi for letting destiny force my brother and I to opposite parts of the village...these damn bridges. No, curse _that _bridge, and its uselessness..."

"What happened?" Timpani asked again, resting a tiny hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her, pained. "Who are you?"

"My name is Timpani, and this is my husband, and our friends. We're here to fight the void and the man behind it. We're trying to get to Fracktail, to get the Pure Heart, to end this."

"No point in ending it now," Green said, slouching and resting his face in his hands. "This town's gone to the Underwhere already. Only two of us left here. Me and a Toad I'd never met in my whole life, until just a few days ago. From the other side of town. Says she knew my brother."

"What happened to everyone?" Timpani asked again.

"All over the edge of the bridge," Green said, reaching up and gesturing towards the poorly crafted wooden bridge that connected the two main parts of town. Timpani looked up at Blumiere, who nodded once at her. He took a quick jog over to the bridge and looked down over the side of a railing. His orange eyes widened as he looked down into the canyon below him: dozens of decaying bodies lay hundreds of feet below him, piled in a pool of blood. He couldn't stand to look for more than just a few seconds.

"Did they all...jump?" Blumiere croaked. Green shook his head. "Pushed."

Timpani was fuming. She was sure, then, that she knew exactly what was going on. She took Green by the hands and helped him back up onto his feet. "We're going to end this, Green, I promise," she said soothingly, cupping his cheek in her hand. "Your brother, all of your neighbors...their games will not have ended in vain. We have no time to waste. We're going to find Fracktail. Take care of yourself, and your new friend."

"Thank you," Green said. He reached a dirty hand up and gently touched Timpani's bow. "Thank you...Tippi."

"You remember me?" she gasped. He laughed. "Well, sure, only heard one voice like yours. And how could I ever forget the time I punched a man in the face just for wearing red clothes? That was quite the adventure. Please save us, Tippi."

Green made the group wait for a moment, and went back to his home to retrieve some water for them to drink. Blumiere sipped slowly, obsessed with the feeling of the cool water trickling down the back of his throat. When his glass was almost empty, he dumped its contents over his forehead, cooling himself off for just a short moment. He gave the empty glass back to Green, and followed along with the rest of his party over the green steel bridge, towards the Yold Ruins.

"Please tell me the ruins are shorter than the desert," Mimi whined. Timpani nodded. "Yes, I remember. We're close now. We'll be there soon."

The Yold Ruins were underground, a detail that all had forgotten, but also that all celebrated. Blumiere let his friends wipe their brows on his cape, and they all stopped for a moment to rest, much to Timpani's dismay. She paced back and forth as everyone slouched against the cave walls.

"Rest, love, you're freaking everyone out," Blumiere said as he watched his wife heaving as she jogged back and forth. Nastasia and Mimi swooned at his voice, but Timpani was stubborn, ignorinig him and continuing to pace. Eventually, she began to frustrate everyone to the point where continuing on was the only choice.

But the walk back outside the ruins was not long. There were a few ledges to be climbed and a few ditches to step over, but O'Chunks naturally was able to – literally – toss the others to the odd heights and lengths they needed to go. Bruised and gasping for air, the five finally reached the end of the underground ruins, and exited back into the scorching desert.

"Fracktail!" Timpani called out into the nothingness before them. "Fracktail, it's us! The heroes! We've returned!"

The words falling from Timpani's lips struck a chord somewhere inside Blumiere. _Heroes. _He was a hero. He was going to save the worlds from the very same destruction he had once threatened upon them. But he wasn't that villain anymore, and it took him by surprise. For the first time, he finally felt like that piece of his life was truly in the past. Count Bleck had stuck with him for a long while, and although he had rid of the alter ego, he had always felt inside that he would never be able to mend the wounds he had inflicted on everyone in the dimensions he'd tried to destroy. But not anymore. He was a hero now. He was a hero to all of those people, and he was going to save them. He smiled at himself, proud of what he had become.

"'Ay, Fracktail! Ya stupid dragon! Get'cher scaly tail out 'ere!" O'Chunks bellowed, and suddenly, the ground began to shake. Blumiere, O'Chunks, and Mimi were able to keep their balance as the dimension trembled, but the other two ladies were not so lucky. Timpani fell back, but her lover was there to catch her and help her back onto her feet. He pulled her closer to her to keep her from falling again. Nastasia fell face-first into the sand. She sat back on her hands and knees, glaring up at the couple, wishing desperately for a hand.

From the sand, Fracktail emerged. He hadn't changed at all since Timpani had last seen him. But, that was to be expected; the robot-dragon would probably live forever, as long as the void was taken town. He scanned the group with a quick dash of light.

"Hero not detected," he said. "Execution will begin in 10...9...8..."

"No! Fracktail, stop! Abort!" Timpani shrieked. Fracktail nodded. "Execution aborted."

"Fracktail," Blumiere pled, "Mario, the hero, is not with us. He's been taken hostage by a new enemy. We need the Pure Heart to save him."

Fracktail was quiet for a moment. "Pure Heart can not be located at this time," he announced, turning back to go back under the sand.

"Wait!" Timpani screamed. Fracktail paused again. "Fracktail, where is the Pure Heart?"

Again, Fracktail was quiet. "Pure Heart can not be located at this time."

"Why not?" Mimi whined, stamping a foot.

"Searching for: 'why not'," Fracktail said. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, then locked back onto Mimi. "Could not find any results for 'why not'. Found results for 'X-Naut'."

"No, no, no!" Mimi whined again. "Why can't the Pure Heart be located, you dumb dragon?"

"Searching for: 'why can't the Pure Heart be located you dumb dragon'," Fracktail said. Blumiere rolled his eyes in sync with Fracktail's. "This is getting us nowhere," he mumbled. "I had no idea the protector of the first Pure Heart was a damn _computer virus_."

"Found results for 'why can't the Pure Heart be located you dumb dragon'," Fracktail said.

"Then tell us, yeh stupid ol' scrap pile!" O'Chunks shouted.

"The Pure Hearts were a collection of artifacts created by the Tribe of Ancients to bring power to those with great love. After the ruling of the dimensions under Count Bleck, the Pure Hearts and the love they held formed the Purity Heart, which was able to destroy the Chaos Heart. This is the purpose served by the Pure Hearts."

"Hurry up," Mimi whined.

"After the destruction of the Chaos Heart, the Purity Heart seemingly self-destructed, as it no longer exists. Its location is unknown to all races. Some suggest the Purity Heart resides with the Hero of Light. Others suggest it was taken back by the Tribe of Ancients for protection. However, no theory has been proven regarding the Purity Heart or the Pure Hearts."

"So, they're...gone?" Timpani asked quietly. She bit on the inside of her cheek, trying to fight back rage. She had never felt this frustrated before.

"Fracktail, do you have the Purity Heart?" Blumiere shouted. Fracktail shook his head. "Purity Heart can not be located at this time."

The group turned to each other. "What are we supposed to do now?" Mimi asked.

"Could this be a trick?" Timpani asked, looking up with a pathetically small glimmer of hope in her bright green eyes. "Maybe Dimentio re-programmed Fracktail to confuse us?"

Blumiere shook his head, lowering his eyes. "Dimentio...is very smart. He wouldn't leave the Purity Heart or any of the Pure Hearts with Fracktail and only re-program him to trick us. If he had truly re-programmed the beast, it would be attacking us right now. But instead, it's..." Blumiere gestured his hand towards the dragon, who was now making his way back underneath the sand.

"Yeh really think the Hearts are gone?" O'Chunks questioned sadly.

"Uh, can I interrupt?" Nastasia said. She raised a hand up. Blumiere nodded at her, and she cleared her throat. "Uh, yeah. See, there was no war between the Purity Heart and the Chaos Heart when they met. The Purity Heart just kinda...won. Instantly. I don't think it's really, um, destructible."

"She's right," Timpani said. "The Hearts can't be destroyed. Love is too strong. When the first void absorbed Sammer Kingdom, the Pure Heart was still there, it was only stone. And it was restored. The Pure Hearts are still out there."

"We need to go back to Merlon," Blumiere said. "The fact that the Pure Hearts are indestructible could be a very good thing. They may be resting with the Tribe of Ancients, their creators, after all that's happened. But the fact that they remain forever...could also be a very, very bad thing."


End file.
